The invention relates to a device for setting the resilient tip of a fishing rod in a bowed, tensioned and releasable fish catching state.
Fishing devices settable in such a tensioned state and in which a slight pulling force exerted in the fishing line releases the device for giving a sudden upwardly directed pulling force in the line are previously known. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 2,177,912 discloses a fishing device in which the outer end of a fishing rod can be brought to a tensioned, bowed position by means of a rod means attached to a support member for the fishing rod and releasably attachable to the outer end of the fishing rod. For holding the fishing rod in a bowed position, there is arranged a hook at the free end of the rod means, which hook cooperates with a ring at the free end of the fishing rod. The fishing line passes through a forklike member at the top of the rod means and is gripped between the fingers of the fork. When a force is exerted in the fishing line at the end thereof, the line will first pull the rod means out of the loop at the top of the fishing rod and then the fishing rod will snap back to its untensioned state. The only way of varying the force required for snapping back the fishing rod to its original untensioned state, is to alter the position of the inner end of the fishing rod in the fishing rod support member.
In Swedish Pat. No. 84,608, there is disclosed a different type of device for obtaining a sudden upwardly directed pulling force when a slight force is exerted on the free end of a fishing line. For obtaining this, at the free end of a fishing rod, there is arranged a pivotably connected arm which has a roller at the free end thereof. Integral with said arm a hook is formed and can be engaged with a spring biased arm at the top of the fishing rod end. A further roller is arranged on said spring biased arm, and when the hook has been brought into engagement with the spring biased arm, the fishing line is passed over said two rollers. A force exerted on the free end of the fishing line will pull the arm having the hook out of engagement with the spring biased arm, and the fishing line will suddenly be pulled upwardly when the spring biased arm returns to its original position.
There have been proposed a number of devices having tripping means for snapping a bowed, resilient fishing rod end back to its original untensioned position but all of these known devices have suffered from the drawback that it has not been possible to provide any easy adjustable means for varying the force required for relasing the tripping means and snapping the fishing rod end back to its original position.